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Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
I have been looking for instructions for growing a dwarf cavendish banana plant indoors all winter but i cant find anything. i dont wanna protect it outside all winter cuz its too little. i really need advice cuz ive never tried this before and i had a lot of problems growing it inside last summer. thanks for any help. =)
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
hey punkrocker!!!
only 3 seasons for me growing nanners..but here in utah overwintering plants ive learned. give the plants as much light u can.. and maybe once a week..if they arent to big..take into the shower..and let a light spray of water on them.. helps keep mites down..and washes the leaves off.. i back off from fertilizing too.. since the plants dont do that much growing in winter because of less than optimal growing conditions.. good luck to ya !!!! :goteam: |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
The biggest problem I've noted with potted bananas inside is overwatering leading to rot. I try to err on the dry side.
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
wow thanks that was fast! =D we have really big windows and it can have tons of light and stay warm cuz its really warm inside in the winter. just spray it once a week and thats all the water it needs? and no plant food? ok. i can do that. i had to learn how to make insect soap in another thread so i can do that too if it gets mites. it had mites last summer and that killed them yay. =)
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
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Place any plant into porous soil, provide positive drainage through the bottom of the pot and make sure, that there is no standing water in the catch tray, which can be wicked back into the root zone and I cannot see any way you could incur root rot. Bananas do need sufficient water. They do get it at home in the tropics and a heated indoor environment is fairly dry, while it is cold outside. I am saying that with little authority on banana culture, because I bought my first banana only 18 months ago, but with significant experience in other potted plants. My experience with indoor banana cultivation is restricted to a Basjoo throughout last winter, which did little growing, but survived in a healthy condition until spring and two Ornatas, from early March until late May. The latter I had to chop off the whole pseudo stems one or two inches above the corm in order to hide them in my suite case during my trip from Vietnam home. Without any greenery the plant should be maximal susceptible to root rot, but none did occur. I watered liberally but provided positive drainage, i.e., I did not let the water in the catch tray rise high enough to touch the soil in the pot. The reason, why the Basjoo did not grow much is most likely, because I did not provide any artificial light. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
:03: I live in Vermont, and have overwintered my nanners inside easily. I have several different species of ornamental bananas in huge pots on my deck, and up until this year, on the really big ones I'd cut off all leaves , leaving the center one, and brought them inside under T5 lights. They all did fine. Some were small, around 3ft, and one I had was 8ft. I just watered lightly all winter, kept the heater at around 65 or so, and put them all back on the deck in the spring.
Use safer soap for any mite problem. Hope that helps.:woohoonaner: |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
I was looking for insight on this as well. I have had one banana die of some kind of white mold in the pseudostem when I kept it inside last winter. This winter I will have 2 that are in 7 gallon pots and if kept in the garage they may stay to wet for to long. Not drying easily that is.
I was thinking of putting them in one of the extra rooms and setting up my grow lights in there with a fan. |
Eighteen days indoors do not a winter make, but
...this discussion about wintering and watering is taking place here and now, so I will risk crowing prematurely. I brought the two Ornatas in on or about October 11. They have shown some positive growth since then, and I defy anybody to show me healthier looking bananas this time of the year, or any other time for that matter. The first picture below was taken on October 14th. I had posted it before in an other thread, but am doing it again for comparison. The second photo was taken this morning, exactly two weeks later, before the daylight got too bright and would interfere with the definition of the picture. The little spike you see in this picture has grown into that fully developed leaf, which is sticking up highest in the photo below The new spike is probably not quite as tall as the previous one in the top photo, but it is safe to say, that the full growth cycle of a new leaf was 15 days, - not much different from summer. Here is, what I did: I selected two nice big pots; 15 litres (4 gal) for the little one and 35 litres (9 gal) for the larger plant* Tossed a few rocks in the bottom, which I covered with fly screen, before I added the soil The soil consists of roughly equal parts of compost to which I had added previously some sand and peat moss I water whenever the top ½ inch feels dryish Due to the covering basket, the actual bottom of the soil is roughly the same height as the rim of the catch tray No artificial light** *IMOEO many of the bananas pictured in this forum often appear, at least judging from to photos, to be in pots, which are too small for proper root development **I live at 49^ 27 N. Therefore there are only few people in this forum with even shorter daylight hours in winters. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
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The very concept of growing indoors and in/outdoors seasonally is very difficult. In general, keep your eyes open and don't water too much. The naner needs very little water when inside during the winter, but it needs lots of water when it's outside in the garden during the summer. Less is more in this case. Good growing to you. :birthdaynana: |
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
I have to agree with Jack that edible cultivars are more sensitive than the commonly grown wild species, although Ensete ventricosum also hates overwatering.
So far,having only overwintered my bananas indoors once,under artificial lighting,25C temperature and high humidity with little water provided,i have found them easy to a degree,to overwinter that way. I am doing it again this winter and hope i have similar success. Its better if their soil has dried out some before bringing indoors as it takes a long time for the soil to dry once indoors and rot can start in the meantime. When spring comes though,and they are let outdoors,they loose all leafs with just light wind and they are very easy to rot in cool spring weather coupled with the rains of spring. This spring,i will only get them outdoors when the weather warms up well to avoid the serious rot problems i faced the past spring which happened to be unusually cool. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
thanks for more information. =D
i know Jack Daws right cuz i had another banana plant last summer a basjoo banana plant and it was under a light in my room but i put it outside so it could have tons of sunlight and it turned brown and died. =( they dont like it if they have to move to a different light. i only have one banana plant now but i can have 2 more in March on my birthday cause i kept this one alive and im getting 2 velutina banana plants that make red bananas yay. this banana plant really kicks cuz it got knocked off the shelf by a cat and now it has 2 new leafs. i didnt know there was bananas that people cant eat but i only want to grow eating bananas. Caliboy told me about velutina plants that they make bananas faster and thats why i want those and cuz there red. oh and i read about the rot disease but theres zero soft spots on my banana plant and i will be checking that out all winter. i read about Christmas lights too and im putting them around my banana plant pot cuz the dirt feels kinda too cold and that can help keep it warm. i just took this picture before mom went shopping today. [IMG] |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
I successfully over-wintered a musa sikkimus indoors last year, and it made some progress over the winter, but I had it in an undersized pot all summer so it didn't make much progress until I finally planted it in the fall.
This winter I'll try over-wintering an ensete mauralii by a south facing window(no artificial light) and will water it only if it really seems necessary so perhaps a cup each month. It does seem to get pretty good light on sunny days, and I'm pretty sure it is enough to get it through the winter. It is also in a cooler room that averages 65F over winter. I think this is a pretty safe way to get it through the winter. Here's how it looks.  |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
If you have adequate light, warmth, water, and fertilizer, is it unreasonable to hope for some good growth over the winter indoors on edible bananas?
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of the pot and you do not even have to worry about watering too much. I will post more on that on Tuesday. If bananas are dormant, then they are sensitive to moisture and rot, but when they are actively growing they do need water, They have it in great amounts, where they are at home and they do need moist soil here, similar to any other actively growing house plants. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
I keep my banana plants thriving all winter with water, food, and lots of sun. I'm fortunate to have huge sunny windows to offer them and plus a metal halide system if things become desperate and there's no sun for weeks without end. Not too often though.
If you don't get a lot of sun however, I wouldn't water too much and barely feed either. My plants actually grow throughout Fall and winter and throw up many new leaves. I have a super dwarf cavendish, among others. I also shower my banana plants over the winter each week, so that spider mites won't take over. I'm careful to shower the undersides of the leaves most especially. Good Luck, Kevin. ;) : ) |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Okay, it is now Tuesday and here is my post:
The top picture shows my Ornata on October 28; - the second today, Nov. 8, the day, when our daylight hours (9 hrs 27 min)dropped below the ones in San Francisco, CA on December 21 and 22, the shortest days of the year (9h 32m 54s). See for Penticton: Penticton Sunrise & Sunset Times - Finding Film Locations - Filming on Location Pre-production Guide For San Francisco: Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. California San Francisco December 2011 What I am driving at is, that this Ornata has shown vigorous growth over these 11 days, without any artificial light The lights in our living room, if on at all, are usually quite dim and away from the plants. Accordingly anybody who lives in the belt (at 37^ 46 N) from San Francisco across Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Muscogee, OK to Raleigh, NC or south should have no problem maintaining good growth throughout the winter with light from a south facing window alone, at least for Ornatas. As the plant has not really slowed down yet in a 35 l (9 gal) pot, I am hopeful, that we can push the "all winter growth" without artificial lighting still further north. As for the watering, which has been discussed in other threads, I see no reason to quit doing, what I do with all other house plants: When the top1/2 to 1 inch appears dry, I add water, while taking care, that there is positive drainage through the bottom of the pot. Frankly this plant looks healthier now, than it has ever looked outside. I attribute that to the lack of dry winds. In spring I will decide if it makes a good house plant, as it will bloom at a height of under 5 feet. It is interesting to note, that the leaf, which has fully matured indoors, has a slightly different colour, taking on a blue hue. This photo was taken on October 28 and shows the little spike of the new leaf emerging This picture, taken today, 11 days later than the one above shows that the little "spike" has attained full height and is starting to "unroll" the leaf, - proof positive, that the plant is still growing vigorously. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Two days ago was the shortest day of the year. There has been noticeable growth since then, even though
it has slowed down. The previous two leaves have averaged out at about 18 days each, but the last one took a full month, but it did it without any artificial light(!). My hope is, that growth will again accelerate as the days grow longer. If that mirrors the rate of decline, we could have a sinus curve and have almost 3 more leaves by the time we return from Vietnam on March 14th and another three by mid May, when they can go outside again. At that time this Ornata should have achieved the height at which I have seen them flower. That would be the ideal time of the year for it to happen. :) However, there are lots of “ifs”. Meanwhile I have watered it whenever the top of the soil got “dryish” and the plant looks as healthy as it possibly can. I might post another picture of ia now much bigger plant, before I leave on January 11. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
My banana plant is growing really slow but its healthy and has 3 leafs. =D
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
After bragging in this thread early last winter about the health of my indoor banana (Ornata) plants, I noticed some damage from mites or something else darn near invisible. It was just days before an extended absence and I did some spraying with a mild soap solution. It must have helped a bit, but not enough, because, when I returned >two months later, there was some more damage, but IMOEO not as bad as it might have been, had I left it untreated prior to our departure. Another insecticide treatment upon return seemed to have brought the problem under control. The last two leaves were basically unaffected. New leaves are not developing fast as they did, after I first brought them in (then: 2 ½ weeks; now: just under 4 weeks). I am not sure, if the reason is less fertilizing during our absence or a delayed reaction to the period of short days in mid winter. The good news is that there is now the first new pub sprouting. When I got the mother in Vietnam last year it had one cub, which I separated then and there and about seven nodes for more. More about that here: http://www.bananas.org/f2/i-think-i-...oup-13386.html After planting the PS of the mother died, but the corm sent out 2 new cubs, which developed over summer into the plants you see further down in this thread in the big pot. The one in the smaller pot beside it is the original pub, which I separated off in Vietnam. The new pub is now the third one from the original mother corm since I planted it. And there is now a little green dot visible on an exposed part of the corm, which may well develop into the fourth pub. :) |
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Thanks, Tony, I sometimes need some help, getting confused: -cub, pup, pub (now here is one I can
remember, - just not the way home from - kidding). :ha: |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Thats so kewl. =) My banana plant died but i will have 2 new banana plants in the mail soon. I'll spray soap on them if they have bugs.Why is did you put a screen around them?
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
You know you can always just move to California :ha::ha::ha:
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Oh man, that would totaly be my happy place. =D I would grow huge banana plants and live on the beach at Marina Del Rey!
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
So, you want to grow banana indoor.
This is topic for me ;) First, you must put her in a sunny room that has a lot of oxygen. It's a bit problem if you have moist in your room. You can easily cut her leafes if they bother you. During winter she will once or twice open new leaf, but very rare and slow. Mine bananas have opened only one leaf. That's good winter growing for me :D Keep container moist, but not too much, you can control it by your finger. So that's my advice, I'll be glad if I helped ! |
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
great idea with the screens! I got 3, plus I'm allergic oh well I still love them.
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Oh man! do you take the meds or get the allergy shots? i didn't want too so i got a pet tarantula cuz I don't sneeze now and i want a Amber Bearded Dragon too but there like $145 for the cheapest one so i have to wait. my tarantula owns! Its a Red Knee and it can live 30 or 40 years.
I talked to dad tonight and i can get my new banana plants in May. Its still too cold here. Im getting a Velutina banana plant and a Pineapple banana plant. i want a blue Shrimp plant too. |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Aren't pineapple banana plants from Willis Orchard? I wouldn't order from them. Members on the Org have had bad experiences from them. If you want a cold hardy edible try California Gold or Dwarf Orinoco.
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Do you know a good site to buy banana plants from? |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Some of the members here run nurseries. Here are some you might want to try:
Northern Tropics Greenhouse - Home RareBananas.com - Rare banana plants shipped live to your door. Encanto Farms Nursery Welcome to Going Bananas of Homestead, Florida! |
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
$179 would probably be Ae Ae. That is really rare, and variegated too. Not even I would try growing it here, as I'm still new to this and it's a really finicky plant. I think Pineapple banana plant was just a term coined by Willis Orchard.
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I have these little beige bugs, which compare to white flies like a VW beetle to an A386 airliner. Because the are so wee, they do not show up very well, causing me to think my job well done. So I sprayed them again with a soapy solution. A couple of days later they were still marching up and down that leaf. Commercial insecticide again - one hour later bugs still unencumbered. Another immediate application of soapy solution. ---> These guys are having fun with me. Now I am torn between two alternatives: - Chop off the affected leaf (so far it appears to be only one) outright or... - spray it with rubbing alcohol. The latter will probably not kill them either, but at least they might no longer march in a straight line like a North Korean soldier in a Kim-parade. :) What do you think? |
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Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
Hi Tony,
of course this solution is much too simple for me to think of. :) I went down immediately and wiped off the leaf. Naturally it is now much too dark to see, if it was successful. For that I need bright daylight. I will tell you tomorrow, if these little beasties are still hanging out on my precious plant Thanks Olaf |
Re: Need advice to grow a banana plant indoors all winter
There are few types of banana plants are available in the market. From that all i prefer the dwarf cavandish type of plants as they are easy to grow comparing to the other plants and gives results easily.
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